Heat pumps are reliable and energy-efficient, but they’re not invincible. Eventually, something happens to them and they need to be repaired, just like with all the machinery in your home. Except when this unique piece of equipment goes down, the issues aren’t as straightforward as you might think.
If your unit isn’t switching modes, you’ll likely need heat pump repair. But before we jump to that conclusion, let’s take a look at what’s causing your mode-switching problem in the first place.
Dirty Air Filters
This is thankfully one you could tackle on your own to see if it’s the problem. Your heat pump is a forced air system, which means it sucks in air and then forces it out, more or less. Air filters are there to prevent debris and dust from getting into the system and causing havoc, but it still needs a steady supply of fresh air.
So when your air filter is dirty, you can imagine your heat pump has a hard time doing its job. It could even get in the way of it operating completely, which could be why you’re facing this mode-switching problem. Swap out the air filter for a clean one, try running it again, and see what happens.
From this point forward, change your filter out once every 30-90 days. Gauge how often it should be done within that window based on how much you use it/how often it runs. It makes a big difference.
Your Thermostat isn’t Reading the Room
Your thermostat’s job is to read the room temperature and send a signal to your heater or AC to bring it up (or down) to the target temperature. But we don’t often think about our thermostat’s role in all of this, so when the heat pump doesn’t work, we assume something in the machine must be broken.
If your thermostat can’t read the temperature of the room properly, even if it’s only off by a degree or two, it makes a difference in your home comfort. This means it needs to be recalibrated, and in this case, where it’s impacting all of your home comfort, it’s best to have a professional do it.
A Solenoid isn’t Behaving
A solenoid in your heat pump acts as a little switch that has one side for heating, and one side for cooling. If it breaks, as you may imagine, it’s not going to be able to switch modes. This problem isn’t one that’s surface-level enough to discern without experience, the right tools, and a bit of a look under the hood.
No More Heat Pump Issues
Even though your heat pump is having a hard time right now, we can take care of it and wipe the problem away. Contact us with our contact form or a phone call and we’ll get a technician out to your home to determine what the problem is and have it fixed before you know it.
Contact English Air, Inc. today to schedule your heat pump repair as quickly as possible.